Lanterns

mwaldron

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Iowa
So I was reading this thread and I started thinking I don't really have a decent long-running area light! The closest I have is a 12V fluorescent tube that I have connected to my radio's backup power system.

So, after thinking about what my criteria for such a beast might be, I came up with the following:

Replaceable primary cells
Runtime of at least 24 hours
360° flood
LED based
Rain-proof. Submersible (bonus) not required
Enough light to illuminate a 20x20 room (a 45W incandescent does just fine)
Ideally something shaped like, well, a lantern
Weight < 5#

I'm undecided on regulation, but I'm honestly leaning away from it for this purpose. I'd be all for regulation if a physical switch could return it to direct drive mode. There is something to be said for the simplicity of a battery pack wire and switch.

So, what products am I describing? I'm also considering just picking up a Coleman 4-D Battery Powered Lantern and seeing how much trouble I can get my soldering iron into via DealExtreme.
 

Newuser01

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concord, ca - eastbay - US
Yeah! This needs to be in another area.

But OT.......

I remember seeing a 12V battery (the kinds that sold by autoparts stores...) that had a 12V cig lighter plug and it also had a 10 LED cluster build in to it. That may be easier to mod since it already had a battery , charger and all. You would only have to replace the led since they are kind of yucky 5 MM kinds and don't produce good light. It was good for task lighting but lighting up a room wasn't going to do it.

If the led can be modded to your liking, this thing would run for weeks on a charge.

Regards.
Noob
 

mwaldron

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Iowa
There's a lantern forum? I never even considered a lantern until today and I never thought there would be a forum for it.

I figured LED because I didn't want bulb :)

I'm sure a friendly mod will be around any second to fix my indiscretion. :mecry:
 

Phaserburn

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Consider a fluoro. They are superior at this point for long running, high output lanterns. Most are regulated because of the ballast. They tend to be inexpensive, and have the runtimes you seek. Some are weatherproof, some aren't.
 

lctorana

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Melbourne, Australia
I have one in mind:

Replaceable primary cells .......... Yes, choice of 3 types
Runtime of at least 24 hours ...... Yes, and the rest
360° flood ............................... Yes
Rain-proof ................................ Yes
Enough light to illuminate a 20x20 room ......Yes
shaped a lantern ....................... Yes
Weight < 5# ........................... Not sure what a # is
LED based .............................. Damn. Sorry.
 

Alero

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Oct 19, 2007
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Dallas, TX
I have several, but only 2 that I really like.

There's a small one made by Coast. I think I got it at Lowe's. It's VERY bright on 4 AA batteries.

The other one is the Wal-Mart brand (Ozark something?) I got on sale for 8 dollars recently. It's solar powered with 3 internal AA NiCd batteries and also contains an AC and a DC charger hidden in the base. I'm thinking of buying a few more while they're on sale to give as gifts for Chiristmas. :)
 

Beastmaster

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River Rock Luxeon K2 Lantern at Target. Under 20 bucks. 3AA batteries - 35 hours on low (which works fine for me).

-Steve
 

loving light

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what about those Energizer folding lanterns,they take 4 aa batteries and run for 120+ hours on low not that water proof but you could always put it in a ziplock.you can get them a wallyworld for 10 dollars and batteries are included.hope that helps
 

Lynx_Arc

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I think the biggest issue that needs to be addressed on lanterns is output for how long and quality of light. Flouros have better quality of light and higher output but for shorter time than LEDs which have longer runtime and lower quality of output.
personally I like the CCFL 4AA trailfinders for output and runtime and size... about 6 hours of bright white light on 4AAs if you need more just have more batteries around or get a car charger and NIMH cells
 

Phaserburn

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On the other hand, fluoros tend to use D alk cells, which typically give 15 to 40 hrs runtime, depending on the wattage of the tube(s) or spiral. The other fluoro benefit is virtually no glare issues to speak of because of the much larger light emitting surface. To me, that's a big deal for a lantern.
 

mwaldron

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Iowa
Thanks for all the great ideas.

I'm going to check out the Coleman Cree (I didn't see it on their website...) at Wally World this weekend.

I'm not so worried about Quality of light in this project as I am with reliability and getting light spread around a room. For any spot work that needs better light, I have enough things laying around to take care of that.

I am a bit curious, what is this LED "glare" problem with lanterns?

I've seen some really nice fluorescent ones but I'm shying away from them for the same reason as regulated LED (circuitry failure, ballast issues, etc) but maybe the 1% chance of Murphy sneaking up on me is worth it?
 

Phaserburn

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If you have two lanterns emitting 200 lumens and one is fluoro and the other led, the led one is emitting all 200 lumens from what amounts to be a fixed point. The fluoro is emitting the same 200 lumens from the entire surface area of the tubes. So, the led die will be far brighter than any given point on the fluoro tube. In many led lanterns, this causes glare that may need addressing. To see what I mean, try looking directly into the reflector of a bright cree light (blinded now?) Then try with the head off and the led exposed w/ no reflector. Not nearly as bad to look at. Leds often have issues with artifacts too, as the light will need to be reflected outward, usually using a inverted reflector (cone shaped with the led aimed at the point).

I don't think worrying about failure is the way to go, especially if you have backup lights (and if not, are you kidding me??). These lights all have pretty good track records for reliability. Personally, I use the led lanterns as small carry-abouts (like the 4AA sized ones), and the fluoros to illuminate rooms and such. Just my .02.
 

dlrflyer

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Apr 7, 2006
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+1 to what Phaserburn said, fluoro is best for illuminating rooms or to read by. I consider the small LED as navigation type lanterns.
 
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